Universal Constant
by Karri
Summary: Consolidating accounts; not a new story! Zelenka lends Col. Sheppard a hand. A tag for Lifeline


Summary: A tag for Lifeline written as part of an LJ meme, which required the use of the line, "Ah! That's my kneecap!" (A big thanks to Padawananeiki for her speedy beta on it.)

**Universal Constant**

John's brain felt fuzzy, almost numb, as he sat limply in the powered-down chair. Disjointed thoughts that seemed wholly disconnected from him said to head up to the control tower, but his body was just too wrung out to care. He'd had no idea how physically draining landing the city would be; it hadn't been so taking off. _But then everything was so tense that it might have been as exhausting and I was just too wired to notice,_he considered.

For a pleasant couple of minutes, John considered simply curling up right there in the chair and taking a quick nap. He knew, though, that the longer he stayed seated, the harder it was going to be to make himself move. An achy stiffness was already settling into limbs that he suspected were going to turn into rubber when he stood, and now that he'd caught his breath enough for his heart to stop racing, he could feel a dull throbbing starting up behind his forehead.

Resigning himself to the inevitable, John steeled his resolve with a deep breath and pushed himself to a stand. The world wavered around him but, much to his surprise, he remained standing as it came back into focus, so he braved a step. The muscles in his legs trembled with fatigue, still, they held all the way across the room and into the hallway.

Half a dozen steps later, one leg buckled as his weight shifted onto it and he had to slap a hand against the wall. John's head drooped as he stayed there to catch his breath again. _Come on,_ he commanded his body,_just a little farther to a bed._

Radek paused as he entered the hall and caught sight of a wilting Colonel Sheppard. The man looked like what few ounces of energy remained in his body were swiftly draining out his toes. He bit his lip. The Colonel wouldn't appreciate knowing he had an audience right now, but Radek was sure John wouldn't get to wherever he was headed on his own two feet. _Besides, I doubt he's headed to the infirmary, and from the look of him, that's where he belongs,_ Radek thought.

As Radek hesitated, John started forward again. His hand remained pressed to the wall, and his eyes stayed focused on his feet, as though he were moving them by sheer force of will. _He probably is,_ Radek mused and hobbled forward to meet him.

"Colonel?" John heard a voice say, but he kept focus on his feet. If he let them stop again, he was sure his knees would give out entirely; his people were unsettled enough without reports of someone finding him passed out in the hall.

"Colonel!" A hand on his shoulder stopped him cold and brought his head up a bit too fast. Just as his eyes landed on Radek's concerned face, his knees, as he'd feared, gave way beneath him.

"Oh!" came a surprised exclamation. Quickly shifting, Radek grimaced at the pressure on his injured leg as he maneuvered a shoulder under John's arm just in time to keep the Colonel from pooling at his feet.

"Whoa!" John gasped dizzily, leaning heavily on Radek as the dark spots dancing in front of his eyes slowly dissipated. A deep breath or two later, he felt steady enough to try and pull away.

"No, no, Colonel," Radek chastised, keeping a firm hold on John. "I have no wish to catch you again. Come."

John grimaced, but acquiesced; he didn't really have any wish for Radek to have to catch him again, either. Letting his head droop, he shut his eyes, blocking out the light egging-on his headache. That is, until he felt himself turned a direction he hadn't intended to go. Lifting his head enough to squint and confirm their course, John murmured, "Uh, Radek, my quarters are that-a-way." He tried leaning in the right direction with little success.

"Yes, Colonel," Radek replied patiently. "And the infirmary is this way."

"Zelenka," growled John, but his crutch was not intimidated.

"Do not waste your breath, Colonel," he calmly replied. "I do not think you have any to spare, and it will accomplish nothing."

John sighed, his head dropping back down as he reluctantly yielded. He desperately wanted a bed; the infirmary had beds. He'd take what he could get.

Radek nearly sighed himself, with relief. Even with his injury, he was sure he was stronger than the Colonel right now, but he'd have felt bad forcing John. The throbbing pain in his leg intensified as John leaned more and more heavily on him with each step, but eventually they reach the infirmary. Radek braved a few extra steps to reach a gurney in a relatively secluded area, figuring it was the least his could do considering that John would have hidden himself away in the privacy of his quarters had Radek given him the option.

John smiled contentedly as Radek eased him down to sit. Dredging up his last grams of energy, he pulled himself the rest of the way up and promptly curled up on his side. Even before he stopped moving, John felt the irresistible tug of sleep pull him into semi-consciousness.

Radek hovered uncertainly, watching the Colonel relax and drift off to sleep. Without conscious awareness of the action, he patted John's knee. Having the Colonel there was a comfortable constant, especially in the face of…everything else.

"Zelenka," John murmured sleepily, interrupting Radek's pensive thoughts before they could really get going. "Ah, that's my kneecap. Why are you patting it?"

Radek smiled. Another constant – the Colonel and his discomfort regarding familiar touching, no matter how innocent.

"You sleep," he replied, giving John's knee a final parting pat and then turning away to seek out Keller - one of the many 'inconstants' to which he, like so many, were still adjusting. Radek sighed, then added more to himself the man behind him, "Pleasant dreams, Colonel.

The end.


End file.
